Phase-out for Washington’s biggest polluter

Washington’s biggest emitter of air pollution, the Trans-Alta coal plant in Centralia, will soon cut its nitrogen oxide emissions and then permanently shut its giant boilers in 2020 and 2025, in a far-reaching accord announced Saturday.

Trans-Alta, environmental groups and Gov. Chris Gregoire hailed as a win-win-win a three way agreement hammered out in backstage negotiations the past two weeks.

The accord on quick approval by the Washington State Senate, on a 36-13 vote, less than three hours after it was announced.

“Once in place, this makes a pretty big statement about the Northwest: We are phasing out coal-burning power plants,” Craig Benjamin of the Environmental Priorities Coalition, told SeattlePi.com.

“The Boardman (Oregon) plant goes down in 2020, the same year that one of Trans-Alta’s boilers goes down. This is a model for the nation in transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The Trans-Alta plant is a big employer in economically hard-hit Lewis County, a source of family wage union jobs. But it is the state’s largest emitter of air pollution, greenhouse gases and mercury.

Stephen Synder, president and CEO of Canada-based Trans-Alta, said in a statement:

“This legislation meets our commitment to a low-carbon future through transition from coal to gas in Washington, significantly reduces our environmental risk and allows us to provide fair shareholder value through favorable long-term contracts while protecting jobs and the economy of the local community.”

The deal shows “gives” by both sides.

Environmental groups had sought shutdown of the coal boilers by 2015, with a possible extension to 2017. The accord says the first boiler will go down on Dec. 31, 2020, and the second five years later.

Trans-Alta gets the ability and assurance to negotiate long-term power sales agreements while the coal-burning plant remains in operation.

But Trans-Alta has committed to install, by 2013, new pollution control technology to further reduce its nitrogen oxide emissions.

Trans-Alta will commit $50 million to a community investment fund to help with energy efficiency projects and $25 million to an energy technology fund.

The agreement won support from Democratic State Sen. Phil Rockefeller, who introduced phase-out legislation, as well as Republican State Sen. Dan Swecker who represents Lewis County.

The accord was denounced on the Senate floor by ultraconservative State Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, who declared: “I don’t want to participate in the destruction of another community. I saw what happened to my community when they shut down the timber industry.

But Gov. Gregoire said in a statement: “This compromise promises cleaner air for our future, while providing the necessary time to ensure economic stability, job protection and enough power on the grid to keep our homes and businesses running.”

The governor’s office helped midwife the environmental peace deal.

“Trans-Alta approached us and said, ‘Lets’ talk about this’,” said Benjamin. Environmental groups had long asked to sit down with the company.

Doug Howell of the Sierra Club, who’s worked years on the Trans-Alta issue, told SeattlePi.com: “Certainty is what drove this.”

He referred to Trans-Alta being able to sign long-term power sales contracts, and greens being able to sign off on coal power plants in the Northwest.

The Trans-Alta work force stands to get a soft landing. Its average age is just over 50, meaning the 10-to-15 year phaseout will carry many employees to retirement age.